NELSONVILLE, Ohio — The League of Women Voters of Ohio and its Athens County counterpart hosted a town hall Thursday, May 29 at the Nelsonville Public Library to show residents how to draw their own ward maps.
Currently, under its charter, Nelsonville does not have established wards. However, it will start next year.
In November 2024, Nelsonville residents voted to abolish its city charter and replace it with a statutory form of government. The city charter will be abolished and replaced with a statutory government on Jan. 1, 2026.
Under Ohio Revised Code, wards are municipal divides of a city that should include populations as close in number as possible. Wards are distinct from precincts; the Ohio Secretary of State’s office defines a precinct as a district within a county established by the county’s board of elections where all qualified voters have the same polling location.
Council members who represent wards must live within their respective wards.
According to the League of Women Voters of Ohio’s website, “the City Council has chosen to remain neutral in the redistricting process and has invited the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the League of Women Voters of Athens County to convene a transparent, community-centered process to develop a ward map proposal.”
The Leagues opened up a forum for public comment on their website.
The Ohio and Athens County Leagues of Women Voters have created a template for Nelsonville residents to draw their own ward map through Dave’s Redistricting App.
Trevor Martin, program coordinator for the Ohio League of Women Voters, demonstrated how to use the redistricting map at the town hall.
More information can be found at the Nelsonville redistricting website.
The goal with the ward maps, League of Women Voters of Athens County Co-President Adriane Mohlenkamp explained, is making sure that “every voter in Nelsonville, their vote is going to have equal weight as their electing City Council representatives, and so that their government is not only responsive to voters, but the process of drawing the maps also.”
Mohlenkamp told the Independent that the town halls’ purposes are, “so that citizens of Nelsonville have time to understand the process, can make their recommendations, can come together to prepare their own maps.”
The League is involved because its focus as an organization is voter rights.
For the League, it’s essential for Nelsonville voters to participate in the ward-drawing process so that the maps are fair and accurately represent the city.
“It’s a great opportunity for the citizens of Nelsonville to come together and think about and talk about what makes up their city and how best to represent that in their maps,” Mohlenkamp said. “I would just encourage people to come out and have their voice heard in the process.”
Martin said that when a council member represents a specific ward rather than the city at-large, it’s easier to hold them accountable and, if necessary, vote them out.
“I think citizens have more power to hold their representatives accountable for specific policies that they do or do not engage,” Martin said.
At the town hall, attendees also expressed concerns about misinformation and political tension within the city.
Jo Anne L’Heureux, a resident and commissioner on the ad-hoc advisory committee helping to implement the city’s transition to a new form of government, said that some folks share their opinions about the political dynamics of Nelsonville on the radio.
“Everything discussed on there is by the people that have a strong opinion about what Nelsonville should be doing, and that’s where a lot of this information comes that people believe,” L’Heureux said.
What’s Next, Nelsonville? is a civic group that aims to address the social and political tensions in the city while also educating citizens. Its members are circulating a survey wherein residents can share their thoughts about the political climate in Nelsonville.
Nic Joseph Saul, a council member and participant in WNN, said that responses have been informative.
“It’s been a pretty worthwhile process so far, with the option of remaining anonymous or providing contact info for follow up,” Joseph Saul said. “People have felt very comfortable being honest.”
The next ward map meetings hosted by the League will be 6–8 p.m. Monday, June 16 and Monday, June 30 at the Nelsonville Public Library, 95 W. Washington St., Nelsonville.
Keri Johnson contributed to this reporting.
